Lesson 4: The Messiah is the Way

Before you do this lesson, read these verses from the Injil:

John 14:1-31 -- "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going."
5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."
9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"
23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, 31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. Come now; let us leave."

Now read the lesson and do the test at the end. The lesson explains what you have read in the Injil.

For three years after he had been baptised, Jesus the Messiah taught and performed many wonderful signs. Let us look at some of the important things that the book of the Injil by John tells us that Jesus the Messiah did and taught. Here is a list of the most important ideas in each chapter.

When Jesus was about 33 years old, his enemies came at night and took him to court, and then they put him on a cross. Just before Jesus was taken to court, he gave his disciples important last teachings. Here is what he taught them about heaven, prayer, and the Holy Spirit, that night before his enemies took him to court.

Heaven and the Father

The disciples of Jesus wanted to go to heaven. They did not want to go to hell when they died. Jesus the Messiah told them how to get to heaven. This is what Jesus said:

"There are many rooms in my Father's house, and I am going to prepare a place for you. And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am" (John 14:2,3).

This means that after his death and resurrection, Jesus the Messiah went to heaven. In heaven he is making a good place for us to live. Some day the Messiah will come back to earth again to take his followers to heaven.

But the question is: How can we know that we will go to heaven?

The disciple called Thomas asked Jesus that question. "Lord," he asked, "how can we know the way to get there?" (John 14:5).

Jesus answered, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father, except by me" (John 14:6).

Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father; that is all we need" (John 14:8).

Jesus answered, "For a long time I have been with you all; yet you do not know me, Philip?... Do you not believe, Philip, that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?" (John 14:9, 10)

From this we learn several things.
1. Jesus the Messiah is the way to heaven. He is also the truth and the life.
2. Jesus the Messiah will come back to earth some day to take his followers to heaven.
3. Jesus the Messiah and God the Father are One. When we know the Messiah, we also know God. This is one reason why people recognized Jesus as the Son of God.

Prayer

After this Jesus the Messiah talked about prayer. He said, "And I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Father's glory will be shown through the Son. If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it" (John 14:13,14).

This means that those who believe in the Messiah can pray through him to God about anything. Believers may pray in their own language. They may tell God all of their needs. God will hear and answer when we pray in the name of Jesus the Messiah!

The Helper

Jesus the Messiah also promised a Helper or Comforter. He said, "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper who will stay with you forever. He is the Spirit who reveals the truth about God" (John 14:16, 17).

Some people say that this promise is about another prophet. In fact, some say that this other prophet is Ahmed. But the word in the Injil has always been Helper, and not Ahmed. The Injil says that the Helper is the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).

The Bible shows that the Helper came upon the disciples ten days after the Messiah returned to heaven (Acts 2:1-4). The Helper is the Holy Spirit who is doing the work of God in the world today.

God's Gifts

Perhaps right now you feel that you should believe in Jesus the Messiah. That is the Holy Spirit talking to you. When you believe in Jesus the Messiah as your Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit will reveal to you that your sins are forgiven. The Holy Spirit shows us the truth and he comforts us. The Holy Spirit is God's wonderful gift to us.
God has prepared many gifts for us. He has made heaven for us to enjoy. He has provided a way for our sins to be forgiven. He has told us how to pray so that our prayers will be answered. He has given the Holy Spirit who will help us. God gives us all these gifts through Jesus the Messiah.

Here is a difficult word in this lesson.
persecute          -      to keep on troubling or hurting someone

Learn this verse. John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father, except by me."

Test 4: God Loves People

Here is the test for Lesson 4. Write the letter of the correct answer on the line on the right side of the page.
1)   For how many years did Jesus teach and perform signs?
      a)   5 years.
      b)   3 years.
      c)   8 years.                                                                                                            ___
2)   In chapter 11 of the book of the Injil by John, we read that Jesus
      a)   fed five thousand people.
      b)   healed a man who had been born blind.
      c)   raised Lazarus from the dead.                                                                          ___
3)   Jesus the Messiah promised to
      a)   send the Helper to take people to heaven.
      b)   come some day to take his followers to heaven.
      c)   never come back to earth again.                                                                       ___
4)   God will answer when we pray
      a)   with a loud voice.
      b)   in a special language.
      c)   in the name of Jesus the Messiah.                                                                   ___
5)   The Helper whom Jesus the Messiah promised
      a)   came upon the disciples ten days after the Messiah returned to heaven.
      b)   came upon the disciples many years after the Messiah returned to heaven.
      c)   has not yet come into the world.                                                                      ___
Write "True" or "False" after each of the following sentences.
6)   Jesus the Messiah taught that his followers must be servants to each other.    ______
7)   Jesus the Messiah taught that his followers must follow the ways of the world.  ______
8)   Jesus the Messiah is the way to heaven.     ______
9)   Christians must pray in English.     ______
l0)  The Holy Spirit is God's wonderful gift to us.     ______